Our friends at Camp Journey were busy at the farm all week long! Run by Sheppard Pratt, Camp Journey is an overnight respite program for 11-17 year old children with mental illness. Each night of the week, a different group of kids calls Camp Journey home.
So, to serve ALL of these youth, we blocked off the full week – mornings, afternoons, and evenings for this wonderful group. They filled out our week nicely, largely coming in the evenings with small groups. We were delighted to have these wonderfully intimate groups of kids with us at the farm. Together, we went on hikes, fished, took care of the animals and property, walked the goats, painted the horses, and so much more!
The highlight of my week was definitely the Thursday evenings girls. These girls were exceptionally present with the animals and happily groomed and painted our horse Vinur for such a long time. We so admired how deeply they felt the experience. When these girls returned the next morning after spending the night at Camp Journey, they took our Pgymie/Nigerian Dwarf goats on a 2-hour adventure all around the property. It was such a beautiful experience!
The counselors at Camp Journey always impress us with how thoughtful and connected they are with the students. They are very much mentors and role models in everything they do. We were so appreciative of how much they embraced the experience alongside the children. We are looking forward to having them back again someday soon!
